A Phillippi, WV man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting his pregnant girlfriend and killing their unborn baby. Glen Junior Corder III pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment last month. Yesterday, Corder was sentenced by Judge Alan Moats to 20 years. The plea agreement spared Corder from a 1st degree murder charge and malicious assault charge for shooting Karen Sue Smith at an apartment complex last December.
In February 2009, a Barbour County grand jury indicted Corder for one count each of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, wanton endangerment and malicious assault. At his arraignment, Corder pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Judge Moats set Corder's trial for June 2009.
In late May 2009, Judge Moats rescheduled Corder's trial for August, because both the prosecution and defense were still waiting on forensic evidence to come back.
On August 14, 2009, Corder entered his guilty plea.
At the hearing, Corder admitted that he knew Smith was pregnant at the time he shot her, and said he was drunk at the time of the incident.
Corder will go back to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail until he can be sent to a state prison.
The 20 year sentence runs as follows - 15 years for the voluntary manslaughter, and 5 years for wanton endangerment.
Showing posts with label WV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WV. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Man pleads guilty to West Virginia rape-slaying
Fred Dwane Douty II, 29, plead guilty to the rape and murder of a Martinsburg, WV woman whose body was found in a remote area in northeastern Berkley County in spring 2007. He was with co-defendant Anthony Charles Juntilla of Hedgeville, WV when they took a woman, later identified as Tina Marie Starcher back to Juntilla’s house. Douty, of Martinsburg, said both suspects rape her, then Juntilla carried Starcher upstairs to a bathtub and stabbed her to death. They then hid the body in a remote area in a blue tub and tried to eliminate DNA evidence by putting cleaning fluid on it.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Woman pleads guilty in Megan Williams torture, rape case
Logan County, West Virginia prosecutor Brian Abraham dropped a kidnapping and hostage taking charge from Karen Burton, who was one of 7 people charged with crimes in the Megan Williams rape and torture case. As part of her plea bargain, she will cooperate against the four remaining defendants in the case. Abraham recommended a sentence of 14 to 30 years for all charges – 2 to 10 years for the kidnapping and hostage charges, and 10 years for the hate crime charge.
Abraham believes the plea deal for Burton carries a proper penalty, considering that the three charges combined, which are to be served consecutively, could add up to 30 years in prison.
"If I had let her have a plea deal on just the hate crime charge and she just got 10 years, that is not enough," he said, "And it would look like I was trying to pacify some special interest."
In addition to the hate crime charge, Burton pleaded guilty to assault during the commission of a felony and malicious assault. In the related indictment, prosecutors accused Burton of choking Williams with a cable.
She was charged with a hate crime for stabbing Williams in the ankle while saying, "This is what we do to niggers around here," according to the indictment.
Police discovered Williams at a trailer near Big Creek on Sept. 8, 2007. Logan County prosecutors say Williams was forced to eat animal droppings, was sexually assaulted and stabbed by six white men and women who held her captive for days last summer. Logan County sheriff's deputies, acting on an anonymous tip, found her at a Big Creek trailer on Sept. 8.
Five people were indicted Tuesday, February 5, in the case. Bobby Brewster, Frankie Brewster, Karen Burton and Danny Combs were charged with malicious assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, and holding Williams hostage.
Grand jurors indicted Linnie Burton Jr. on one count of misdemeanor battery. He was not among the original six people arrested in the case.
George Messer and Alisha Burton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of kidnapping and one count of assault during the commission of a felony. Each faces up to 10 years in prison and has agreed to testify against the other defendants.
"We are still trying to determine each individual's involvement in the acts they committed and assign the proper charges and proper punishment based on their conduct," Abraham said of the four remaining defendants.
Abraham said he has not ruled out cutting deals with the remaining defendants.
"In every criminal case, there is usually some negotiation that takes place. That is not to suggest that we have done so on this case," Abraham said. "It is not my practice to try a case just to be trying it. If I have a case that has more certainty to it by a plea and the outcome is just, then it is something we will consider. ... I am not going to cut deals just to expedite the case. We don't do that here in Logan."
Malik Shabazz, who organized rallies in Williams’ support through his group Black Lawyers For Justice, was pleased with the guilty plea.
"All of the key charges against the defendants are sticking. I have to give Mr. Abraham his day here. Justice is becoming a reality," Shabazz said. "I think the message being sent will protect others from being the victims of race hate and violence in the future."
Shabazz said he feels activism by those who rallied for Williams was vindicated through the conviction.
"Now the test is to see if Mrs. Karen Burton's sentence reflects the crime," he said.
Without the hate crime charge, Burton would be facing between 12 and 19 years in prison; with it, she faces much more, he said.
Shabazz said activists still want the maximum charges and longest penalties in the case.
"But it's up to the prosecutor's discretion to know how to come to a plea agreement," he said. "Mr. Abraham should be given the benefit of doubt in the case."
Abraham said that hate crimes are not intended to create special rights, but are intended to enhance sentences which may be otherwise plea bargained down to lesser acts.
"I have an obligation to uphold my oath and enforce the laws of West Virginia and, by extension, to represent the interests of Megan Williams," he said. "I will not base my decisions on any special interest."
Williams also made an appearance on a Montel Williams show featuring hate crimes. She will receive a new computer, six months of tutoring to help her earn her GED, and a 2 year, $40,000 scholarship to ITT Technical Institute.
(Update 3-17-08) From the Charleston(WV) Daily Mail:
Forty-six-year-old Karen Burton and 49-year-old Frankie Brewster were sentenced Thursday for their roles in the kidnapping and assault of Megan Williams. Both pleaded guilty last month.
Brewster and Burton were among seven white Logan County residents who were charged in the Willlams case.
Logan County Circuit Judge Roger Perry sentenced Burton, of Chapmanville, to three consecutive sentences. She received separate 2-10 year sentences for malicious assault and assault during the commission of a felony and 10 years for the civil rights charge.
Brewster received a 10-to-25-year sentence for second-degree sexual assault.
Williams and her parents were in the courtroom Thursday and wept as the sentences were read.
"I just believe he (prosecutor Brian Abraham) shouldn't have plea bargained with any of them,'' her mother Carmen Williams said during a press conference after the sentencing. "She (Megan Williams) wanted them to do life.''
Two other defendants had already pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Burton's 23-year-old daughter, Alisha, and George Messer, 27, both of Chapmanville, both pleaded guilty in February to kidnapping and assault and received 10-year sentences.
Abraham believes the plea deal for Burton carries a proper penalty, considering that the three charges combined, which are to be served consecutively, could add up to 30 years in prison.
"If I had let her have a plea deal on just the hate crime charge and she just got 10 years, that is not enough," he said, "And it would look like I was trying to pacify some special interest."
In addition to the hate crime charge, Burton pleaded guilty to assault during the commission of a felony and malicious assault. In the related indictment, prosecutors accused Burton of choking Williams with a cable.
She was charged with a hate crime for stabbing Williams in the ankle while saying, "This is what we do to niggers around here," according to the indictment.
Police discovered Williams at a trailer near Big Creek on Sept. 8, 2007. Logan County prosecutors say Williams was forced to eat animal droppings, was sexually assaulted and stabbed by six white men and women who held her captive for days last summer. Logan County sheriff's deputies, acting on an anonymous tip, found her at a Big Creek trailer on Sept. 8.
Five people were indicted Tuesday, February 5, in the case. Bobby Brewster, Frankie Brewster, Karen Burton and Danny Combs were charged with malicious assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, and holding Williams hostage.
Grand jurors indicted Linnie Burton Jr. on one count of misdemeanor battery. He was not among the original six people arrested in the case.
George Messer and Alisha Burton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of kidnapping and one count of assault during the commission of a felony. Each faces up to 10 years in prison and has agreed to testify against the other defendants.
"We are still trying to determine each individual's involvement in the acts they committed and assign the proper charges and proper punishment based on their conduct," Abraham said of the four remaining defendants.
Abraham said he has not ruled out cutting deals with the remaining defendants.
"In every criminal case, there is usually some negotiation that takes place. That is not to suggest that we have done so on this case," Abraham said. "It is not my practice to try a case just to be trying it. If I have a case that has more certainty to it by a plea and the outcome is just, then it is something we will consider. ... I am not going to cut deals just to expedite the case. We don't do that here in Logan."
Malik Shabazz, who organized rallies in Williams’ support through his group Black Lawyers For Justice, was pleased with the guilty plea.
"All of the key charges against the defendants are sticking. I have to give Mr. Abraham his day here. Justice is becoming a reality," Shabazz said. "I think the message being sent will protect others from being the victims of race hate and violence in the future."
Shabazz said he feels activism by those who rallied for Williams was vindicated through the conviction.
"Now the test is to see if Mrs. Karen Burton's sentence reflects the crime," he said.
Without the hate crime charge, Burton would be facing between 12 and 19 years in prison; with it, she faces much more, he said.
Shabazz said activists still want the maximum charges and longest penalties in the case.
"But it's up to the prosecutor's discretion to know how to come to a plea agreement," he said. "Mr. Abraham should be given the benefit of doubt in the case."
Abraham said that hate crimes are not intended to create special rights, but are intended to enhance sentences which may be otherwise plea bargained down to lesser acts.
"I have an obligation to uphold my oath and enforce the laws of West Virginia and, by extension, to represent the interests of Megan Williams," he said. "I will not base my decisions on any special interest."
Williams also made an appearance on a Montel Williams show featuring hate crimes. She will receive a new computer, six months of tutoring to help her earn her GED, and a 2 year, $40,000 scholarship to ITT Technical Institute.
(Update 3-17-08) From the Charleston(WV) Daily Mail:
Forty-six-year-old Karen Burton and 49-year-old Frankie Brewster were sentenced Thursday for their roles in the kidnapping and assault of Megan Williams. Both pleaded guilty last month.
Brewster and Burton were among seven white Logan County residents who were charged in the Willlams case.
Logan County Circuit Judge Roger Perry sentenced Burton, of Chapmanville, to three consecutive sentences. She received separate 2-10 year sentences for malicious assault and assault during the commission of a felony and 10 years for the civil rights charge.
Brewster received a 10-to-25-year sentence for second-degree sexual assault.
Williams and her parents were in the courtroom Thursday and wept as the sentences were read.
"I just believe he (prosecutor Brian Abraham) shouldn't have plea bargained with any of them,'' her mother Carmen Williams said during a press conference after the sentencing. "She (Megan Williams) wanted them to do life.''
Two other defendants had already pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Burton's 23-year-old daughter, Alisha, and George Messer, 27, both of Chapmanville, both pleaded guilty in February to kidnapping and assault and received 10-year sentences.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Rape victim encourages other victims to come forward
53-year-old Bucky Joe Proffitt, who worked as a home health care aide for an elderly woman, was sentenced to between 10 and 25 years in prison for raping her daughter in law, Linda Williams, back in the summer of 2005.
According to WVVA's Rape Victim Speaks Out:
Williams says, "What he did, he's going to pay for, it's not right."Unfortunately, Linda is not alone in a case like this.In the last decade, more than 300 forcible rapes have been reported each year in West-Virginia.Worse than that, more than one-thousand rapes are reported each year in Virginia.
Licensed Psychologist Susan Smith says, "This happens not only to women, but also to boys, young men, the elderly."Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes, with more than half still being left unreported."If it happens to you, report it, or if you don't it's going to make your life a living, awful bad place," says Williams.
After reporting the assault to police, victims should be examined at a hospital so that evidence can be collected.They then have to begin coping with the myriad of effects that rape can cause."Shock, feelings of loss of control, sleep disturbance, appetite disturbance, feelings of self-blame, questioning of your own judgment, your own perceptions," are some of the side effects according to Smith.
According to WVVA's Rape Victim Speaks Out:
Williams says, "What he did, he's going to pay for, it's not right."Unfortunately, Linda is not alone in a case like this.In the last decade, more than 300 forcible rapes have been reported each year in West-Virginia.Worse than that, more than one-thousand rapes are reported each year in Virginia.
Licensed Psychologist Susan Smith says, "This happens not only to women, but also to boys, young men, the elderly."Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes, with more than half still being left unreported."If it happens to you, report it, or if you don't it's going to make your life a living, awful bad place," says Williams.
After reporting the assault to police, victims should be examined at a hospital so that evidence can be collected.They then have to begin coping with the myriad of effects that rape can cause."Shock, feelings of loss of control, sleep disturbance, appetite disturbance, feelings of self-blame, questioning of your own judgment, your own perceptions," are some of the side effects according to Smith.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Suspect allegedly kidnaps, sexually assaults acquaintance
Kurt MacKenzie Ray, 43, of 620 Fowler Hill Road, Wellsburg, WV, is facing charges of kidnapping, nighttime burglary, wanton endangerment with a firearm, and sexual assault of a woman he knew in Beech Bottom.
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, is the headline from the Wheeling (WV) Intellengencer:
The Brooke County Sheriff’s Department said the woman was reported missing at 3:15 a.m. [Friday January 11]after her children, ages 5 and 7, awoke to find her missing and went to the home of a neighbor, who called the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff’s department said the woman was seen by an off-duty Wellsburg police officer about 10 minutes later walking with Ray near the Valley Haven Geriatric Center, which is on Sesame Street in Beech Bottom. Brooke County Sheriff Richard Ferguson said the woman signaled to the police officer that she needed help, and Ray was apprehended soon after by deputies.
Ferguson found a gun used in the alleged kidnapping at the vicinity of the crime, and the victim was taken to the hospital, but without making a full statement as of this time.
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, is the headline from the Wheeling (WV) Intellengencer:
The Brooke County Sheriff’s Department said the woman was reported missing at 3:15 a.m. [Friday January 11]after her children, ages 5 and 7, awoke to find her missing and went to the home of a neighbor, who called the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff’s department said the woman was seen by an off-duty Wellsburg police officer about 10 minutes later walking with Ray near the Valley Haven Geriatric Center, which is on Sesame Street in Beech Bottom. Brooke County Sheriff Richard Ferguson said the woman signaled to the police officer that she needed help, and Ray was apprehended soon after by deputies.
Ferguson found a gun used in the alleged kidnapping at the vicinity of the crime, and the victim was taken to the hospital, but without making a full statement as of this time.
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